Obscurity
by purplerayz
Summary: Even though the rest of the team is busy with a case, they still manage to help Reid through a difficult time.


Just a one-shot. Takes place roughly season 5.

* * *

His father was dead.

Heart attack.

The man wasn't very old, by all means, but Reid still knew someone could have a heart attack at any age, really. Even people his age have had heart attacks before. Reid forced that dismal thought away, though, because he had enough to worry about already.

He'd always been scared about receiving a call about his mother, he'd admit to that—either worried about her harming herself or her condition and medication finally taking their toll on her body. The most he'd gotten about her were a few concerning calls from her doctor, but it was usually just about changing her medicine.

On the contrary, he'd never specifically thought about getting a call about his father. He'd seen him only once in the past twenty years, and since then, he saw the man in a little lighter view than he previously had. He had considered calling his father a few times in the past year, even considered seeing him when he went to visit his mother, maybe regain some semblance of a relationship, but he could never work up the nerve to actually make the call.

He suddenly wished he'd been able to now.

Something slowly pounded into his mind, breaking his line of thought. It took him a moment to register the fact that it wasn't simply in his mind, and he realize the pounding was someone knocking at the door. He turned and exited his bedroom, making his way through his apartment to see who was there. He wasn't expecting anyone, and he rarely got a visitor unless he was, so he was curious. He looked through the peephole, quickly recognizing the man on the other side.

"Morgan," Reid greeted when he opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Hotch has been trying to call you for half an hour," Morgan replied, looking Reid over. "We have a case. I said I'd stop here on my way in to see if you were here."

"Oh." Reid stepped back and allowed Morgan to come in before going into his living room where his cell phone sat on an end table by the couch. He checked it for missed calls, finding that Hotch had indeed called him several times. He turned back around to Morgan, who had followed him into the room.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't hear it."

"Didn't hear it?" Morgan asked, clearly concerned and curious.

"Yeah," Reid dismissed.

"Are you okay, Reid?" Morgan asked.

"I'm fine," Reid replied automatically, trying to move past him as he did so. Morgan grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"No, you're not. You look like you're about ready to pass out."

"No, I'm fine," Reid said again. "I just… I got a phone call this morning… My dad died."

Reid didn't meet Morgan's eyes as he forced the words out. He couldn't seem to for some reason. Maybe he didn't want to see the look of pity that would be there.

"I'm sorry," Morgan finally spoke.

Reid didn't really know how to respond, so instead he quietly said, "I need to finish packing." This time, Morgan let him walk past. Reid heard him follow behind, though. When he reached his bedroom, he glanced at the half-packed bag sitting open on his bed and grabbed a couple more shirts from his closet.

"You flying out today?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah. My flight is in a couple hours." Reid paused in folding a shirt. "My mom doesn't know yet… I figured it would be best if she heard it from me in person… If… if she's even lucid enough to understand."

Reid resumed his packing just as Morgan's phone began to ring. "Hey, Hotch," Morgan answered as he stepped out of the bedroom, giving both himself and Reid some privacy. Reid could still partially hear him as he walked further away, though. "Yeah, I'm at his place right now…"

Morgan was too far away to clearly understand what he was saying anymore, but that was alright with Reid, since he had a pretty good idea what was being said. He finished packing everything he thought he would need before heading back out to the living room, bringing his bag with him. Morgan was just ending the call.

"You told him?" Reid asked, though he knew he had.

"I hope you don't mind."

"No, that's fine," Reid replied, relieved that he wouldn't have to say the words again. He would have called Hotch before he left for the airport anyway. "Well," Reid said after a moment to break the silence, "you obviously have to go, and I have to leave to catch my flight soon anyways…"

Reid made to move towards the doorway to show Morgan out, but Morgan stopped him. "The case is in Vegas, Reid. We're leaving in half an hour. Hotch said you can come on the jet with us."

Secretly, Reid was immensely relieved to hear this. He definitely wasn't in the mood to deal with a commercial flight right now. He also wasn't in the mood to deal with the pity-filled looks his team would give him, but he'd much rather be around them than whatever complete strangers he'd be forced to sit next to.

When Reid finally realized Morgan was waiting for a response from him, he nodded and began to gather his things.

The drive to the airport was mostly silent. Reid was grateful that Morgan didn't try to engage him in useless conversation. When they finally arrived and got on the jet, Reid did his best to accept everyone's sympathies with politeness, but he really just wanted to be alone in quiet. As the plane took off, Reid sat in the back by himself while the rest of the team gathered around the table to be briefed about the case, allowing him some peace. If he really wanted to, he could hear most of what they were saying, but he wasn't in the mood to decipher the possible profile. Also, Hotch had strictly ordered him (in a polite way) that he was not to partake in the case in any way.

Reid had to admit that a distraction from his thoughts sounded nice, but he didn't need to see any more death right now. Instead, he stared out the window.

* * *

 _The young boy was glued to the window, palms pressed firmly against the glass, letting the coolness creep into his hands. He leaned his head forward against the cool glass as well, watching in sadness as the water continuously trickled down on the other side._

" _Spencer, stop moping and come away from the window."_

 _He turned, looking at his mother. He stayed there for another moment, looking out one last time, before finally obeying. He went back to the table, where his previously abandoned chess board lay, and began to play a game by himself. His usual trip to the park today, where he could play with other people, mostly adults, had been put to a halt by the rain. His mother was too busy to play with him, currently lost in her own world of literature. She had only broken away from her books long enough to tell him to stop staring outside._

 _The door opened just then, but he didn't look up, not really caring that his father was home from work early. All he wanted to do was go to the park. He continued his playing solo game absentmindedly._

 _When William Reid entered the house, he quickly saw the woman was lost in her own thoughts and readings. He didn't miss the sad look in the boy's eyes as he played by himself. When the boy had finished the game and began to reset the pieces, William sat down across from him and joined him in playing._

 _The boy's face lit up and a smile spread across his face, thoroughly enjoying having his father as an opponent._

* * *

"Reid… Reid…"

Reid woke to his name being called softly and the pressure of a hand on his shoulder. He blinked and looked around, realizing he had fallen asleep, and sat up straighter. His neck felt sore from the awkward position he had fallen asleep in, but he ignored it for the moment as he looked up at Hotch.

"We'll be landing soon," Hotch simply said before sitting down in the empty seat across from him.

Sometimes, it sucked to work with profilers, because they always knew when something was wrong. But it also meant they knew when someone didn't want to talk, and Reid was grateful that Hotch stayed silent while the plane slowly began its decent. He thought about the dream/memory he'd just had.

He had forgotten about that day. It was nothing spectacular, but it was a good memory of his father, something he seemed to have so little of. The most prominent memory Reid had of his father, up to when he had seen him once last year, was of him leaving. He knew that bad memory had probably forced any good ones away. The fact that he had left was too hurtful to remember that they had shared happy moments, too.

The team separated ways once they landed. Reid headed for his hotel in his rental car, while the rest of them headed to the police station. They told him to call them if he needed anything, but Reid knew he wouldn't call any of them. They had a case to focus on and didn't need to be distracted by worrying about him, though they probably would a little anyways.

On his drive to the hotel, Reid debated on whether he was going to go see his mother today or wait until tomorrow. He had no idea how he was going to tell her, and he was scared about how she'd react, but he wouldn't feel right in not telling her at all. Her mind wasn't stable and was unpredictable. He didn't even know if she'd be lucid enough to recognize him, let alone understand what he would be telling her. Maybe a call to the hospital first was in order. If the doctor said his mother wasn't having a good day, then he would wait.

An hour later, after getting situated in his hotel room followed by a little procrastinating, he finally made the call. He didn't know whether he should be relieved or worried when his mother's doctor told him that she wasn't having a very good day. Hopefully, tomorrow she'd be better, but if not, he still knew couldn't postpone the conversation forever.

Reid occupied the rest of the afternoon by making a few phone calls about beginning to make funeral arrangements. His father didn't really have any family left apart from him and his mom, but he had coworkers and friends who would want to attend the funeral. It would probably be a relatively small gathering, but that was okay with Reid. He wasn't sure he'd be up to a bunch of strangers giving him their sympathies for a man he wasn't very close to at all.

Later that evening, a knock on Reid's hotel room door surprised him. He shouldn't really have been surprised to see Morgan on the other side, though. The odds of the team getting a case in Vegas the same day he had to fly out because his dad died were very slim. Yet, it had still happened. So the fact that they also ended up staying at the same hotel as him, oddly enough, seemed to make some weird sort of sense. But odds were one of them had a hand in making sure they ended up at the same hotel. He didn't entirely mind.

"Hey," he greeted, opening the door and allowing Morgan to come into his room.

"The team is getting together in the hotel restaurant downstairs for a late dinner if you want to join us," Morgan offered.

"Um, no thanks. I think I'll pass," Reid replied. He didn't feel like being around anyone, even his close friends.

"Reid," Morgan practically interrupted, "I know you, kid, and knowing you, you haven't eaten anything all day."

Reid looked away, because Morgan was completely right. He hadn't eaten anything since breakfast this morning, and though he was hungry now that he thought about it, food really hadn't been on his mind at all today.

"Come on. I know you're going through a hard time right now, but you still need to eat something," Morgan encouraged.

"Fine," Reid agreed, following Morgan out the door.

Down in the restaurant, the rest of the team was already seated at a table. There were two empty chairs, telling Reid that Morgan had not been planning on taking no for an answer. Reid greeted them silently as he and Morgan sat down. As he glanced over the menu, nothing appealed to him, but he ordered something anyway.

"Did you talk to your mom today?"

He wasn't really surprised to hear the question. He had been hoping not to discuss anything. He'd rather just eat in silence.

"No," he answered. "I talked to her doctor, and he said she wasn't very lucid today. I'll probably go see her tomorrow, though."

Thankfully, for the rest of the meal, the subject was dropped. The team kept conversation going, though, but didn't say a word about the case, he noticed. He didn't say much, but he listened to every word, hoping to get his mind off his mom and dad for at least a little while. He picked at his food, but made sure to force enough of it down to satisfy Morgan and the others into not worrying whether he was eating or not.

He said goodnight to everyone after they finished their meals and separated to their individual rooms. Reid didn't really sleep during the night. He was too worried about tomorrow and how his mother would handle the news. Instead, he spent most of the night staring at the ceiling until he finally drifted off sometime in the early morning.

* * *

 _The power was out. It was pitch dark, and he was scared as he waited for his father to return. He looked around at every little noise, every little creak in the house that normally wouldn't have even been noticed. His heart rate was faster than should be, while he tried not to let the fear of the dark envelop him._

 _A light finally flickered on, illuminating the room, as his father returned after having found a flashlight. His mother was sleeping on the couch, completely oblivious to the fact that there was no electricity at the moment. The boy sat with his father in another chair._

 _His father used the flashlight to read to him. Reading to him was something almost strictly reserved for his mother, but the distraction was welcomed. He clung to every word, feeling safe from the dark he hated. He even fell asleep next to his father before the blackout ended…_

* * *

"How did it go?"

Reid didn't even look up as Rossi sat on the empty bar stool next to him the next evening. Figures, that someone would come down here to find him. He just hadn't been expecting that person to be Rossi.

"About as bad as I expected," he finally replied. He didn't elaborate, and Rossi didn't attempt to get him to. His mother had taken the news horribly and ended up having to be sedated. He had warned her doctor that he would be giving her bad news, so the staff had been prepared. Still, it didn't make Reid feel any better. He'd have to go again to see her tomorrow.

"Morgan was looking for you," Rossi informed him. "But you're not the type who likes to drink, so I don't think he thought to look for you down here."

"Then how did you know to find me here?" Reid asked curiously, looking at Rossi.

"Certain emotions can drive people to do things they usually don't do," Rossi said glancing at the drink sitting in front of Reid. "Or they try to hide where they don't think anyone will look."

"It's nonalcoholic," Reid assured him, turning the glass absentmindedly in his hand. "How's the case going?"

"Ah, I am under strict orders not to discuss it with you. We all are," Rossi smirked, and Reid returned it with a hint of a smile. Of course Hotch would have told them to make sure he didn't get involved in the case, too. That was why there hadn't been a single mention of the case at dinner last night. It would be so easy for him to get wrapped up in the case and put off dealing with his father's death. "But it's a bad one," Rossi continued, the smirk disappearing.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Reid knew Rossi was letting him be, not forcing him to talk, but silently offering to listen if he wanted to.

"I don't," Reid found himself saying after awhile, "I don't really know how I should feel. I feel like… like I hardly even know—knew him."

Rossi sighed deeply before speaking. "Reid, no matter how much you hated, or thought you hated him over the years, the man was still your father. It's okay that you're confused about how you feel."

"I've just… never really thought about it before," Reid admitted. "I've always been too worried about something happening to my mom that I didn't even think of my dad." Reid paused, while Rossi sat quietly, letting him say what he wanted at his own pace. "You know, after last year, I almost called him a few times, whenever I came to visit my mom. But the farthest I ever got was dialing his number. I couldn't do it, though."

"And now you wish you had," Rossi stated, not even bothering to make it a question.

"Yeah… But then this would probably be even harder now if I had done it," Reid replied truthfully.

"Would it be any easier if you hadn't seen him since he left you as a kid?" Rossi asked.

Reid thought for a moment, taking a sip of his drink for the first time since Rossi had sat down next to him. "No," he finally answered. "It would feel a little different maybe, but it would still be hard. Like you said, he was still my dad, at least for the first ten years of my life."

"There's got to be at least a few good memories in there."

"Yeah," Reid nodded. "Before, whenever I thought about my father, I always thought about how he left. But since I got the call, I'm starting to remember some good things." Reid let out a small, frustrated laugh. "It's just confusing."

Rossi placed a comforting hand on Reid's shoulder. "You'll make sense of it."

They stayed silent for a couple minutes again until Reid spoke. "I think I'm going to go back to my room."

Rossi nodded and Reid finished his drink before standing up. He took a few steps away and turned back. "Uh, Rossi?" Reid waited for him to turn his head. "Thanks."

"No problem," Rossi responded, smiling slightly.

Reid turned again, leaving Rossi sitting alone at the bar, and headed up to his room. As much as he didn't feel like talking or being around anyone, he felt better for having talked to Rossi, even if it hadn't been a long talk, and even if he was still very confused about his feelings.

* * *

The next evening, after having spent most of the afternoon with his mother, Reid wasn't at all surprised to hear a knock on his hotel room door. He was even less surprised to learn that it was Morgan.

"You don't need to check up on me," Reid said in greeting as he opened the door. "I heard you were looking for me last night, too."

"If you want me to leave, just say the word," Morgan replied as if he was challenging him.

Reid had half a mind to say he just wanted to be alone right now, but like last night, he knew the company would actually be welcoming. So instead, he opened the door further, allowing Morgan to pass through the threshold. Reid rubbed his temple as he followed behind Morgan.

"You alright?" Morgan asked as he turned around and saw Reid.

"Yeah, just a headache. It's been a stressful few days."

Reid sat on the edge of his bed and lied back on it, suddenly realizing how tired he was. Considering the minimal sleep he'd gotten the past couple of nights, that was no surprise.

"How's the case coming?" Reid asked. He knew he wasn't going to receive a direct answer, but he needed to break the silence, and it was the first thing that popped into his mind.

"Slow," Morgan responded vaguely, as Reid had expected. "How are you holding up?"

"Alright, I guess," Reid answered as he stared up at the ceiling. "I just want to get this over with. The funeral is on Thursday."

Reid sat up and rubbed his temple again. A sudden wave of thirst hit him, and he stood up to get himself a cup of water. What he hadn't expected, however, was the lightheaded feeling that washed over him and for the room to start spinning wildly around him. He reached out to catch himself on something and inadvertently knocked several things off the nearby table. He was dimly aware of someone's arms helping to steady him and guide him to sit back down on the bed, gently pushing his head between his knees.

When he finally felt the room stop tilting, he sat up slowly. Morgan still had a hand on his shoulder, clearly worried.

"I'm fine," Reid managed to say. "I think I just stood up too fast." He leaned forward a bit, resting one elbow on his knee and his hand against his forehead. His headache felt even worse now. Morgan disappeared for a moment, and Reid didn't even notice when he returned until a glass of water appeared in front of him. He drank it without protest.

"Reid, have you eaten anything today?" Morgan asked when he took the empty cup from Reid.

Knowing it wouldn't do any good to lie, Reid slowly shook his head, causing Morgan to sigh. What he didn't admit was that he'd hardly eaten a thing since he'd eaten with the team two nights ago.

"We talked about this, Reid. You need to eat, even if you don't feel like it."

"I know," Reid replied softly, his eyes never leaving the floor. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Morgan promptly returned. "Just promise me you'll take care of yourself."

Reid nodded, knowing there wasn't much strength in his voice right now. He felt oddly exhausted, which was his own fault, really, but knew he needed to eat something before going to bed. Morgan seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"I'm going to go down to the restaurant and pick up some food for you. You should lie down while I'm gone. You still look pretty pale."

Once again, Reid lied back onto the bed. Morgan grabbed Reid's room key so he would be able to let himself back in and left him alone. Reid closed his eyes, feeling like an idiot for not properly taking care of himself, even by doing something as simple as eating.

* * *

" _Spencer, you need to eat."_

 _Spencer sat at the kitchen table, holding the fork in his hand, but only picked at his food. He didn't feel like eating._

" _Spencer," his father sighed. "I know you're worried, but your mother will be fine. We'll go and visit her at the hospital again tomorrow."_

 _Spencer kept pushing the food around with his fork, making no indication that he had heard his father speak to him._

" _She just bumped her head. The doctors just want to keep an eye on her overnight to be safe. She'll be fine."_

" _Do you promise?" It was childish, he knew. His father could never really promise something like that._

" _I promise, Spencer," his father said, reaching across the table and placing a hand on Spencer's._

 _He could tell his father really meant it. He really believed his mother would be fine. If that was the case, then Spencer did too. He smiled and began to eat._

* * *

When Reid opened his eyes, Morgan's blurry face appeared above him.

"I know you want to sleep, kid, but you need to eat something."

Reid sat up once again, careful not to do it too quickly. He accepted the container of food Morgan was holding out for him and began to eat it slowly. He stayed silent as he continued to eat. Morgan didn't attempt to push him into talking, but Reid still felt like he wasn't done with the lecture about taking care of himself. Morgan was only politely waiting until Reid finished the meal.

"I'm sorry," Reid apologized again when he set the empty container aside, already beginning to feel better. "I know it was stupid not to eat… And thank you," he added, gesturing slightly to the container, before taking back his earlier statement. "I guess you did need to check up on me."

"Reid," Morgan began. "We're just worried about you. I know you are more than capable of taking care of yourself, but I also know how you can get when your mind's preoccupied."

"I know," Reid agreed quietly. Again he found himself talking, almost rambling, without much prompting. "All I've been worried about was how I was going to tell my mom… how she'd react… Then I basically had to tell her _twice_ because she reacted so badly the first time…"

Reid stopped as his voice began to crack, taking a moment to compose himself. It wasn't working very well, though. Along with his body still re-adjusting from nearly fainting to actually having food in its system, his emotions were just running too high right now. He didn't know if the silent tears that followed were from sadness, frustration, or if he was just completely rung out.

The bed dipped beside him, and a comforting hand was placed on his back. Reid unconsciously leaned into the touch and gave up on all efforts to hold his emotions back.

* * *

When Reid woke, he was a bit confused. As he glanced around his hotel room and slowly began to recall the night before, he came to a conclusion. He must have fallen asleep last night while Morgan had still been here. He had no recollection of when Morgan had left. He was still wearing the same clothes he had been wearing yesterday. As he sat up, he saw that the things he had accidentally knocked off the table last night were now setting neatly back on top.

All the lights were off in his room, except for a lone lamp in the corner, which told him Morgan had been thoughtful enough to leave it on, lest he wake up disoriented. He was grateful for that small thought of consideration right now. Waking up in a dark, unfamiliar hotel room was a common casualty of the job, but in his tired and current emotional state, confusion upon waking was more likely to occur. Morgan had obviously known that.

Reid sighed and plopped back down on the bed. It was still too early to get up, but he didn't know if he'd be able to fall back asleep. He still felt tired, but much better than he had felt last night. He'd had a surprisingly dreamless sleep this time, but he accounted that to exhaustion. So many memories were coming to mind these past few days that he had (amazingly) forgotten about or just hadn't thought of in quite some time. It was sending his thoughts and emotions through a loop.

He felt a bit embarrassed for crying like that in front of Morgan, but that couldn't be helped now, so he tried not to dwell on it. He also realized that he had needed it. He'd been holding his emotions back since he had heard the news, and it was bound to happen eventually. He was secretly grateful to have comfort when it did happen, though, which he wasn't used to getting from other people. Even after all the years he had been on the team, it was still hard for him to accept help from them. But he was at least getting better at it.

He dozed off for a while, but it wasn't long before realizing he wasn't going to be able to fall back into a deep sleep. Forcing himself to get off the bed, he decided a shower would be the best way to wake up fully. The water was almost too hot when he finally got in, but it felt good, and he didn't get out until the water had started to cool.

He took his time getting dressed and ready for the day, and when he was done, he decided it would be best to keep his promise to Morgan. A good way to start would be breakfast. Instead of stopping at the restaurant in the hotel, he opted to walk a little way down the block to a nearby cafe and get some fresh air.

It was slightly chilly outside, but it felt good, and it was a short walk anyways. Once there, he ordered a large coffee and decided a donut was the most appetizing choice of food at the moment. Perhaps not the healthiest choice, but it was something to eat. A brief thought crossed his mind to text Morgan, letting him know that he was keeping his promise, but he didn't know whether the team was starting early on the case today or were sleeping in a bit. Either way, he didn't want to disturb Morgan.

His question was answered, though, as he turned around to look for an open seat. There were plenty, seeing as it was still fairly early in the morning, but he spotted JJ and Emily sitting together in one of the booths. If they were talking shop, he didn't want to interrupt them, but he felt it would be rude if he didn't at least say hello. It didn't matter, however, because JJ spotted him and waved him over. She scooted over in her seat, indicating him to sit next to her.

"We're all beginning to think too much alike," Emily joked lightly, glancing at the large cups of coffee in front of each of them.

Reid agreed with a contented sigh as he took the first sip of his coffee. JJ and Emily both smiled.

"How are you doing, Spence?" JJ asked after a moment.

"I'm doing okay," he replied truthfully before adding, "Morgan keeps checking up on me. Hasn't he given you any updates?" He wanted to keep the mood light, and the other two seemed to understand.

"All he says is you're doing okay," Emily responded. "We just want to make sure for ourselves."

Reid nodded. They didn't seem to know what happened last night, which he was grateful for. And he trusted Morgan to keep it that way, as long as he kept his promise to eat, he supposed. Wanting it to remain that way, he started on his donut.

They were only able to stay a few more minutes before they had to leave and get started on the case again. Reid had finished his donut in that time and had opted to walk back to the hotel with them, unfinished coffee still in hand. When they reached the lobby, the rest of the team were just arriving from their rooms.

"Where did you guys go so early in the morning?" Morgan asked.

"Coffee shop down the road," Emily answered. "We needed something better that the coffee at the station to start us off. We ran into Reid there," she added, indicating his presence there.

"I had a donut, too." Reid was sure the statement sounded a bit weird and unnecessary, but he was determined not to have Morgan worrying about him all day. He glanced at Morgan, who gave the slightest nod.

"We should get going," Hotch interrupted, though Reid could tell he didn't like to be the one who had to say so.

Reid nodded and gave a small wave as he said goodbye. As he turned and made his way back to his room, he felt oddly alone.

* * *

He didn't realize how much he was dreading this day until now. He'd mostly been worried about how his mother was doing. He figured the funeral would be a breeze compared to having to tell his mother that his dad had died. He'd been wrong.

First of all, there was a lot more people than he had expected. Apparently, his father was a popular man at his law firm. The majority of the people that came were his co-workers, a few were his clients, and a couple friends that he'd met outside of work. The only family there was he and his mother.

As another wave of condolences moved through, Reid looked over to his mother. She was sitting on the far side of the room, staring at the casket that set in the front. The only person sitting near her was the nurse from Bennington that had come along, just in case she had another bad reaction. After it had finally sunk in that her husband was dead, she seemed to be better. Grieving, but better. But there was still that chance of a meltdown of any sort. If someone said the wrong thing to her, who knew what would happen.

It didn't seem like anyone was paying attention to her, though. Reid had a hard time deciphering if it was because no one knew who she was, or if it was because they knew exactly who she was and were scared to approach her because of her condition. Frankly, he didn't know which was the better explanation.

"I didn't know he had a son."

Reid's heart sank. He knew he wasn't supposed to hear the comment, but he did. The small statement hurt far more than he thought it could. He knew he and his father didn't have much of a relationship, but didn't the subject of children come up in conversations between friends? He would have thought his father would at least mention him. Was it that hard to say "I have a son, but we're not close"?

The feeling of being in a room full of strangers, some of which apparently didn't even know he existed, suddenly overwhelmed him. He left the room, quickly as he could without causing a scene. He found the nearest exit and rushed out to breathe in the fresh air. He found it slightly baffling, how he could feel like he was suffocating in a room that was full of air.

He made his way around to the side of the building where he wouldn't be seen. He leaned against the wall and slowly sank to the ground. He sat there for several minutes, staring at the ground, trying to push down the anxiety. He knew he should go back to his mother. The service was supposed to start any minute, but he couldn't force himself to get up.

"As much as you don't want to be in there right now, you'll regret it if you miss the service. Trust me."

Reid turned his head, startled. Even more startling than the fact that someone had snuck up on him, was the fact that it Hotch.

"What are you doing here?" Reid ask stupidly.

"The whole team would be here if they could," Hotch answered. "Unfortunately, the case can't afford to lose more than one of us for the moment. I can only stay for the service, then I have to go back. We didn't want you to be alone."

Reid forced himself up, knowing Hotch was right. He'd regret it if he missed the service. The two of them made their way back inside. They sat down by Reid's mother just as the service began. It was a fairly short service. Reid felt better with Hotch by his side. It was ridiculous, really. The team was very busy with a tough case, yet they still managed to make time to help him through this. He didn't know how he was ever going to thank them.

He'd been asked beforehand if he wanted to say anything during the service, but he had declined. He felt a little guilty for saying no, but he had no idea what he would have said. That his father was a great man? That he'd miss him terribly? Right.

There was no burial. His father had left in his will that he wanted to be cremated, so after the service, everyone left. Hotch stayed with Reid and his mother while the room emptied out, and Reid knew he was pushing his limits for time.

"Thank you, for coming," Reid said, letting Hotch know it was okay that he had to leave.

Hotch nodded, placing a comforting hand on Reid's shoulder, before exiting after the rest of the crowd.

* * *

Another knock on his door. Morgan, most likely. Reid had only been back in his room for ten minutes, and he wondered if Morgan had been here more than once to see if he was here. He'd been with his mother the rest of the day and only left when she had fallen asleep for the night.

He was a bit shocked when he opened the door. Morgan was there, yes, but so was the rest of the team.

Morgan held up a bottle of wine. "Case is done. We all felt like we needed a drink. We though you might too."

Reid opened the door further to let them all through. "Aren't you heading back home tonight if the case is finished?" Reid asked as he closed the door behind him.

"We still have a few loose ends to tie up at the police station in the morning," Hotch answered.

Reid wasn't sure he if he believed Hotch or not. It didn't matter, though, he realized. He was glad they were here.

Morgan began to pour everyone a glass of wine. Handing one to Reid last.

"Thank you," Reid said.

"You're welcome," Morgan responded automatically.

"No," Reid corrected, shaking his head. "Thank you. All of you. I know you guys were busy, but thanks for taking what time you could to be with me. It means a lot."

"Anytime," Morgan responded. "You know that." The others nodded in agreement. "And I know Garcia would be here too if she could. Be prepared to be bombarded when you get back. She's been baking every spare chance she's had all week."

A look of slight horror crossed Reid's face, making everyone chuckle. They had all been on the other end of one of Garcia's baking sprees at one time or another.

"Now, a toast," Rossi said, raising his glass. "To William Reid."

Everyone raised their glass up for a moment in silence. Reid took a sip of his wine. He rarely drank alcohol anymore, but he would drink one glass in honor of his father.

* * *

 _Although it's difficult today to see beyond the sorrow, may looking back in memory help comfort you tomorrow. ~ Author Unknown_


End file.
